Italy can be a great destination for vegetarian and vegan travelers by doing a little research and planning beforehand.
Roman culture has a strong tradition of vegetarianism. Some Romans were influenced by the Greek philosopher and famous vegetarian Pythagoras, and Epicurus, who advocated vegetarianism as part of a lifestyle free from cruelty and pleasure and from whom we get the term Epicurean . In particular, the Roman senator Seneca was a vegetarian and Roman gladiators generally increased the vegetarian fare for barley and beans to keep them fat, as the meat portions were small and lean.
This tradition of vegetarianism is present in Italy today. A 2011 study suggested that 10% of Italians are vegetarians and Italy has the highest percentage of vegetarians in the European Union. Veganism is less common as dairy and eggs are staples, but it is certainly possible to eat well while traveling to Italy as a vegan.
Menus
The Italian food served in Italy is not the same as that served in the United States because:
- Italians rarely use butter, and many restaurants don’t even stock butter in their kitchens. Olive oil is usually the fat of choice, which is helpful for vegans.
- Similarly, cheese is not generally offered to cover pasta, except in tourist restaurants. Also, it is not uncommon to find pizza without cheese or pizza marinara on menus.
- Most Italian menus fall into the following categories:
- Antipasti (appetizers)
- Primi piatti (first courses)
- Secondi piatti (main dishes)
- Contorni (side dishes / vegetables)
- Dolci (dessert)
- As a general rule, most primi piatti and contorni will be vegetarian and / or vegan, while secondi piatti will focus on meat.
- But, all that said, many Italian dishes will have hidden meat. Most soups will be made with beef or chicken broth. Fritti misto (or fried mixed dishes) can be filled with pork or beef. Guanciale (cured pork dewlap) is frequently used as a base in certain sauces, including pastas alla amatriciana and spaghetti alla carbonara . Cream or eggs are often used as a base in desserts.
How to order
Many Italians speak English. But, to be safe, it is important to specify your food restrictions.
The most important thing to remember is that Italians (and most Europeans) don’t understand the word “vegetarian” like we do in English. If you tell the waiter that you are a vegetarian (I am a vegetarian ), he may bring you a meat-based soup or a pancetta pasta, as it is made mainly with vegetables. In fact, many Italians who describe themselves as vegetarians will happily eat a plate with small amounts of meat and still consider themselves vegetarians.
Instead, when ordering a plate, be sure to ask:
- And without meat? – Es sin carne?
- And without cheese? – Es sin queso?
- And without milk? – Es sin leche?
- And without eggs? – Es sin huevos?
If you want to order a dish without any of those ingredients, simply name the dish and say “senza” your restriction. For example, if you want to order pasta with tomato sauce without cheese, ask the waiter for pasta marinara senza formaggio.
